N.J. to-do list: 'Garden State' and Gov. Florio | Editorial

When the New Jersey Legislature has so much to do that it repeatedly fails to do -- such as tackling school aid inequity and onerous property taxes -- it's tough to justify wasting time on "feel-good" bills and resolutions.

Now, there's new legislation to correct the glaring oversight that "Garden State" is NOT New Jersey's official state slogan. No matter that the slogan has been on every state license plate since the 1950s. Research links the phrase to a Camden attorney and farmer, Abraham Browning, who mentioned "Garden State" in a Philadelphia speech in 1876. So, admittedly, we have a geographical soft spot for the bill.

There's another ceremonial measure with South Jersey roots pending in Trenton, but it's more controversial.

The nj.com column "The Auditor," reports that two state senators want to declare Aug. 29, 2017, as "Jim Florio Day." It's the former governor's 80th birthday. Sponsors include (not surprisingly) state Senate President Stephen Sweeney, D-Gloucester, who hails from Florio's old congressional district, and Sen. Patrick Diegnan (D-Middlesex).

Making the case for Florio Day, Diegnan said, "His ideas and ideals are ringing examples of courageous political leadership in gun control, education, economic reform, and environmental protections that provided a model for standing up to the economic and social challenges of our times."

Above is the "pro" argument in a nutshell, but it also explains why there is some opposition. If you're a gun enthusiast, a drill-baby-drill advocate, or someone who marched against Florio for extending the state sales tax to toilet paper, you won't see Aug. 29 as a celebration date.

Here's a typical online comment on "The Auditor" item: "A celebration for 'One Term Jimmy,' the same fool who gave rise to the slogan 'Florio Free in '93'?"

Florio served just one term as governor, 1990-1994, booted out mostly due to a tax increase that topped $2.8 billion overall. Mostly, it was a response to a huge deficit, but also an attempt to ramp up school aid. Had it all stayed in place, lawmakers might not be looking decades later at how to finance schools. Successor Christie Whitman's insistence on a 30 percent state income-tax cut remains a prime reason for New Jersey's annual budget holes.

To do justice to Florio, remember this: His sometimes unpopular stances earned him the Kennedy family's "Profiles in Courage" award in 1993, his last full year as governor. "He should be happy he is getting any kind of award these days," reacted a spokesman for Whitman, then a GOP candidate seeking to prevent Florio's re-election.

Some 24 years later, Whitman might want to retract that snarky remark. These days, she and Florio are often the same side on environmental and other issues.

As a congressman, Florio was father of the Superfund toxic waste site cleanup law. And, when the FBI came calling with its "Abscam" bribes, Florio was one of the few area officeholders who declined. He would not even meet the fake sheiks with the cash-filled suitcases.

If that's not enough to give him recognition for just one day, we don't know what is.

If there's sufficient opposition, designating "Jim Florio Day" won't fly. But floor debate will remind the Legislature about its unfinished business concerning taxes and schools. You can't say that about the "Garden State" measure.